


You Got Me Like

by GayIsMySpecialty



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Bonus Chapter at the end, Cute Ending, Depression, Donghyuck and Chenle are brothers, Fluff, Homophobia, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Requited Love, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-01-23 02:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18540604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayIsMySpecialty/pseuds/GayIsMySpecialty
Summary: Another house, neighborhood, school.How will they cope?It might have something to do with a rowdy group of friends and a very cute barista.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Amor Omnia Vincit](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15465666) by [JustCallMeJo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustCallMeJo/pseuds/JustCallMeJo). 



> Hi again!
> 
> The first chapters might have a few oopsies with tenses, because I suck with those, but they get better as the story goes on. The chapters will be a little short, which I hope you were expecting from me. I have a good idea how I want this to go already and have some chapters written out. Look forward to updates!
> 
> Also, I'm too lazy to italicize. Again.
> 
> Enjoy.

"Would you demons chill for five seconds?" Donghyuck groaned.

"Nope! So as I was saying, he made this whole ten-minute video…"

Chenle's high-pitched voice faded into the background as Donghyuck tried hard to ignore it. His thoughts drifted to the beginning of the day. That day was the first one back in school. Due to their parents being busy, they ordered Donghyuck to take his little brother Chenle and his friend Jisung out to the nearby café afterwards for snacks and studying.

Today was his first day of sophomore year, and it's been two weeks since they moved to this town. It was a fairly large high school with about 1,500 students in a suburban area. The houses were nice and pretty with a couple of parks dotted around and the school was about a mile from the city.

Personally, Donghyuck thought it was nothing that great; he was used to every kind of area from his family moving around so much. He was unsure of what kind of jobs his parents had because they were always vague when asked about it. He just knew that moving this much was very abnormal.

Donghyuck sometimes wished he could just stay in one place for the rest of his life, surrounded by friends and family, never having any reason to move.

The loud laughter of his little brother snapped him out of his reverie. They were finally arriving at the café, so the trio stepped inside. Chenle and Jisung picked a table in the corner, away from most people, while Donghyuck went to order their drinks and snacks.

Once they were all settled and deep into their new textbooks, a sudden shout from the table located next to theirs caught their attention.

Turning to look, Donghyuck noticed two boys about his age arguing animatedly.

"Bakugo is just /misunderstood/ and way underrated! There is no way any other character can beat him when it comes to future development."

"You are /so/ wrong, sweetie. Are you deaf or something? If anything, Bakugo is OVERrated. Todoroki's development so far is what's important, and who knows what might happen with him in the future?"

Chenle lets out a huff and gets up deliberately from his seat, struts a few feet over and places his hands on his hips, right in front of the two strangers.

"You're both wrong. Kirishima is the best because he is an amazing supporting character, puts up with Bakugo and still manages to be the funniest and wittiest one in the whole anime."

They blink up at him in surprise and Donghyuck sits there, just as stunned.

/How dare they write off Midoriya like that?/

Just as Donghyuck is about to butt in and tell his little brother to sit back down, another boy comes to the other table looking exasperated. He has narrow features and hazelnut locks that frame his forehead.

"Would you two quit your weeb-ing and disturbing others? Mark just called and said he's on the bus running late," he says, before turning to Donghyuck, Chenle and Jisung.

"Sorry about them- hey, you're the new sophomore, right?" he asks Donghyuck. He gets a shy nod in response.

"We kinda move around a lot, so that's why I'm starting as a sophomore."

"Cool, that sounds fun!" one of the other boys cuts in. He has short black hair and crescent-shaped eyes, giving him a friendly and approachable appearance. "I'm Lee Jeno, by the way. This here is Na Jaemin," he points to the Bakugo bias, who has deep brown hair and bright caramel eyes, then shifts to the boy who just arrived, "and that's Huang Renjun. Nice to meet you guys!"

"I'm Lee Donghyuck, that's my little brother Chenle, and this is Park Jisung. Nice to meet you too," he supplies, before frowning a little. "Also, moving so much is the /opposite/ of fun."

Just as Jeno opens his mouth to reply, the bell above the door to the café rings and a ruffled-looking boy hurries inside, waves towards the six of them, and disappears behind the counter and into the back room.

"Well, Mark finally made it! Free coffee!" Jaemin whooped.

Donghyuck blinked as if he had just seen a ghost. Well, something similar at least. Possibly an /angel/. This 'Mark' guy was certainly the best-looking person he has ever seen, though he only looked at him for a mere four seconds. His cheeks were slim with deep-set dimples clearly visible even without a smile, his eyes were big and shining, and his hair, a midnight black color, complimented his pale complexion and made his features pop out more. He even had looked decently tall and well-built from where Donghyuck was sitting.

"Anyways, so back to what I was saying-"

Donghyuck listened to the five of them talk, all the while in a daze sipping his pink drink, thinking about the boy that his new acquaintances were apparently familiar with, causing his cheeks to heat up.

Eventually, the two parties somehow ended up mixed and sitting together, deep in conversation. Even Donghyuck joined in - solely because he had finished his drink and had no other excuse to keep quiet - that is, until Mark came back out, brown apron on and heading to their table with a cardboard tray of different orders of coffee.

Donghyuck managed to steel himself as the handsome boy approached, giving a mental slap to his back. /Whatever you do,/ do not /embarrass yourself, Hyuck./

"Sorry, I can't talk long, but thanks for letting the boss know what had me running late. Bikes are becoming untrustworthy these days!" he laughed, scratching the back of his neck. Donghyuck caught his eye but looked down quickly, smiling shyly. It seemed like he was doing that a lot today, even though he was normally the /opposite/ of shy, speaking what was on his mind when he felt it was necessary.

"Glad you made it. Mark, this is Donghyuck, Chenle and Jisung!" Jaemin quipped, gesturing to them each. They all nodded in greeting. Suddenly, Mark smiled.

"Could I get you a refill? It's on the house!" he offered, looking /directly at/ Donghyuck. His brain decided to stop working at that moment, making him dumbly stare up at the boy.

"Sorry, my brother's a little slow today, probably from the first day of school. He could use some more caffeine," Chenle said, nudging Donghyuck with his elbow, snapping him out of it.

"Y-Yeah, he's right, sorry. Yes, please!" he stuttered. Mark just gave him an even bigger grin, taking the empty cup to throw it away and bring him a new one.

Once Mark was behind the counter again, the five boys all turned to stare at Donghyuck with varying looks on their faces, ranging from disgusted to curious and even perverted.

"Oooo, someone has a crush on little miss perfect over there making him a drink," Jeno teased. Donghyuck's face burned brighter than the sun, kicking him in the shin under the table. "/Ow!/"

"You deserved it. If Donghyuck doesn't want to talk about it, then don't talk about it," Renjun bit out, stirring his frap with his straw. Renjun was becoming his favorite out of the trio.

~

After a few hours, they all decided to call it a night, exchanging phone numbers and Snapchats before cleaning up their tables and heading for the door. The sun had set and they all had to get home before they got in trouble.

Donghyuck told them to wait up because he had to go to the restroom, but when he came back a minute later to find the café devoid of the group, he turned to Mark, who was still manning the register.

"They all left, sorry, I tried to stop them," he said. Glancing around as if to make sure that the café was still empty - which it was, had been for hours - Mark smiled. "I could walk you out if you'd like. My shift ends in ten."

Donghyuck nods, smile adorning his face as well. Mark's grin was infectious, it seemed. "Sure, thanks."

The ten minutes pass quickly, Donghyuck pretending to be on his phone but actually glancing up at Mark every few seconds, and Mark clocks out, putting away his apron and gathering his things.

Once they're out the door and walking down the sidewalk, Donghyuck couldn't help but ask why exactly he was so late to his shift. Mark responds with a nervous laugh.

"Well, I kind of… broke my bike."

Donghyuck raises an eyebrow questioningly.

"I was walking down the front stairs of my shed and dropped it. Onto a pile of cinderblocks," he explained, scratching his head. Donghyuck burst out laughing.

"You're a bit of the clumsy type, aren't you?" he asked, still giggling. Mark pouted and lightly pushed his shoulder.

"Am not," he mumbled. Meanwhile, Donghyuck's three brain cells were short circuiting from how cute he looked.

After a while of bantering, they eventually had to part ways, their destinations in opposite directions - not to mention, Mark had to hurry and take the bus back, and they were making their last runs.

Once he arrived home, Donghyuck took off his shoes by the door, dragging himself into his room and face-planting on the bed.

/What a day,/ he thought, replaying the too-short time he had with Mark throughout the night. /What a day./


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck's struggling. Mark's struggling. They both need someone to help carry their burdens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, again, sorry for tense errors. And lazy editing.  
> This is my favorite chapter I've written so far, hope you like it.

A few weeks had passed since the encounter. Donghyuck was keeping well on top of his grades, finally feeling like he had control over what seemed impossible before. He was just so used to moving from place to place that he never bothered trying to do well in all the different classes he was constantly switching in and out of. Thankfully, this place seemed like the home Donghyuck would never forget.

The six boys were currently at the café, all of them working on their homework - minus Donghyuck because he already finished, so he was idly chewing on his straw and staring at the seventh boy of the group behind the counter. The girl at the front, who seemed to go to a different school based on the uniform, was blatantly flirting with Mark. All he could do was smile, nod, and hurry up with making her caramel frap.

Donghyuck bit harder on his straw when the girl twisted her hair and lingered her hand longer on his when he handed her the order. He wanted to /scream./ She had absolutely no business touching him when he was obviously uncomfortable and just being professional by responding to her desperate advances. If he could do something, he would march right over there and push her right out the door. But he couldn't. So he just stared.

Finally, the girl left Mark alone and Donghyuck could pause the demolishing of his straw. The junior left the counter quickly to go to the back room, so Donghyuck had nothing to stare at for a bit. His gaze wandered to his friends, suddenly realizing that… they were /all staring at him./

"Wow, Hyuckie, you have it bad," Jisung giggled. Donghyuck's entire face flamed up. Unfortunately the boy was too far away to kick.

Jaemin, right between the two, nudged him and asked, "Why don't you try talking to him again? Maybe ask for another straw?"

Now, don't get the wrong idea. Donghyuck rarely, if ever, got nervous in social situations. Hell, even in front of past crushes, he was never afraid of being his true, loud and somewhat obnoxious self. But… Mark was somehow… different. All Donghyuck wanted to do was curl in a ball and hide his red face from the world. But a little spark in his mind gave him the courage to get up and make his way over to that counter. So he did.

Mark was leaning casually against the cash register, counting the number of bills in each slot. He looks up when Donghyuck approaches and smiles that big toothy grin if his. Seeing it up close does things to the other boy's heart and he doesn't know if he'll make it back to the table alive or not.

"What can I do for you, Donghyuck?" Mark asks cheerfully.

"C-Could I get another straw please?" his voice cracked /only slightly./

Mark reaches under the counter and grabs one. Donghyuck smiles and takes it, but hesitates. Mark looks at him questioningly, but a small smile that shows off his handsome dimples never leaves his face.

"Thanks," Donghyuck squeaks, realizing he was hovering way too long, and he scurries back over to the table. Jaemin is eyeing him with a shit-eating grin taking up the majority of his face.

Donghyuck doesn't say anything and slouches in his seat, and he's thankful for the continuing conversation among the others for preventing Jaemin from speaking. Lord knows what he would say, and Lord knows what Donghyuck would do to him.

He totally misses the glance Jaemin shares with Jeno across the table.

~

When Donghyuck comes back from the bathroom, everyone is gathering their bags and jackets, still chattering about some drama an idol stars in. Mark isn't at the counter, probably getting his stuff in the back. For a moment, he wishes he would've talked to him a bit more after he'd asked for a straw. He finally had the courage to make a move but he chickened out last second. Now, Donghyuck can't even bring himself to talk to him as they leave the shop and stride down the sidewalk.

Instead, Donghyuck falls in step with Chenle, who's mildly listening into the conversation between Jaemin, Jeno and Jisung a few steps ahead of them.

"Hyung, what number are we at now?" Chenle asks out of the blue. Donghyuck looks at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"I mean, how many times have we moved? How many houses have we lived in? How many friend groups have we had, how many goodbyes have we said?"

Donghyuck stops for a moment in shock, but continues walking. /I lost count, Chenle,/ is what he thinks and is about to say, but he decides against it.

"I don't know," he simply replies.

Donghyuck is looking straight ahead, but he barely sees Chenle's expression change, morphing from exasperation to anger and finally settling on just plain sadness.

Donghyuck loops his arm around his brother's shoulders.

"Don't dwell on it. Yeah, our parents are assholes for constantly leaving us by ourselves, acting as if we should know the ways of the world by now, but we always have each others' backs, right? We'll eventually figure it out."

Chenle just sends him a sad smile and a nod. Donghyuck intertwines their fingers to comfort him and they continue on their way home.

~

Mark, upon arriving home, pulls a slip of paper out of his jacket pocket before slinging the garment onto the couch. He climbs the stairs two steps at a time, swinging open his bedroom door and dropping himself onto his bed. He eyeballs the paper with increasing stress, but finally pulls out his phone and inputs the number written across the paper in his contacts, even copies the "Donghyuckie <3" into the name field.

Sighing, he sends a swift text before he could stop himself.

/Hi./

~

Lucas bursts into the room, causing Mark to sit up with a deep groan. He had just been taking a nap after a long day at school because he had work off and time to spare. Though he loves his brother, sometimes Mark wants to lock him in a sound-proof room for three days and enjoy peace and quiet.

"Hyung, we talked about this. /Knock./"

"Sorry, Markie. I just wanted to ask what's been going on with you lately. You seem so distracted, you were missing so many shots at practice! You're our shooting guard; you need to make those!"

Upon Mark's unimpressed expression, Lucas sits down at the foot of his bed with concern etched on his face.

"I just want to know what's up with my little bro, come on, talk to me," he says, and Mark sighs at that.

"Well… there's this new guy. I got his number a few days ago and we've been texting a lot." Lucas sits up straighter, looking like a puppy with perked ears.

"And he's really nice. /So/ pretty, too. He's like, the sun personified. His eyes even twinkle and he's got this nose that-"

Lucas breaks out into laughter.

"What?!" Mark exclaims. Lucas tries to calm down and wipes a tear away.

"You are /so/ whipped, Markie," he giggles. Mark rolls his eyes and kicks his comforter at him. Lucas gets up and puts a big hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, take my advice and ask him out. The worst case scenario is he rejects you and stops talking to you. Best is that you guys start dating and spend the rest of your lives with each other. Is it worth it?" Lucas says seriously, surprising Mark.

"W-Well, I guess…" he mumbles, avoiding eye contact. Lucas lifts his brother's head to look at him.

"But, little bro, I know you're one of the school's heartthrobs. Hell, all of my friends-that-are-girls talk about you all the time. Don't break his heart, or do anything I wouldn't do, okay?"

Mark nods, cheeks flushing.

"Oh, hyung… I wanna talk about… th-the basketball team," he adds quietly. Lucas raises his eyebrow.

"You mean the insecure and emotionally constipated assholes who pick on people for no good reason? Ignore them, Markie. They don't deserve to be worried about." Mark slowly takes this advice in, nodding when he feels satisfied.

Lucas smiles, strutting out of the room and swinging the door closed behind him.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaemin's getting attached to his hyung, and has no idea why. Renjun gets a text.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one's so short. The next one will be longer.

"Thanks so much for agreeing to help me, hyung, you're a life-saver," Jaemin says, rushing to pull out his school supplies and set up, because Jungwoo had been sitting in the library for all his free period waiting for Jaemin to finish his last class.

"No problem, glad to help." Jungwoo flashes a smile at him, and Jaemin could've sworn his heart skipped a beat. Has it ever done that before?

Their tutoring lesson goes on for quite some time. English is difficult but manageable, while math is still the worst torture on the planet. Jaemin looks at his phone and notices that his friends would be leaving the café by now, so he asks Jungwoo if they could pause and continue on a later date. Jungwoo smiles once again and accepts. Jaemin wonders why he imagined that instead of asking for a tutoring lesson, he asked for a date.

Shaking his head, Jaemin tries to rid of his thought. /He has a boyfriend, idiot. Stop pining like a hopeless child./

In an attempt at making conversation while they leave, Jaemin asks, "So what's your boyfriend like?"

"Oh, Lucas? He's just the cutest person ever. He took me on this date one time and-"

"Wait, /Lucas?/ Like, Lucas from the basketball team? Brother of Mark?" Jungwoo nods.

"Why?"

"Well, my friend Donghyuck has a mega huge crush on Mark," Jaemin blurts, grinning mischievously. Donghyuck would be livid if he knew he told a soul, which makes it that much more fun to tell.

Jungwoo blinks in surprise. "Really? That new kid?"

Jaemin nods, exclaiming proudly, "Jeno and I slipped Mark his number a while back and Donghyuck was so mad when he found out!"

"I bet he's happy now though, huh?" Jungwoo says, eyes twinkling. Jaemin gulps and nods, flushing for literally /no/ reason whatsoever.

~

"You guys, it's seriously /not right/ to just hand out numbers of your friends without their consent. You know this, yet you do it anyway!" Renjun exclaims with his mouth full of his lunch and throws his hands up exasperatedly, causing someone in the library to shush him. Jaehyun, a volunteering college student who was organizing books on a nearby shelf, wheels his cart over after overhearing the conversation about the pining pair.

"You know, that's actually how a lot of gay couples come together. I'm surprised you haven't noticed that, Renjun," Jaehyun input quietly. Jaemin and Jeno had satisfied looks on their faces as if they did nothing wrong.

Renjun whined, "But /hyung,/ it doesn't make it any better. What if it hadn't been Mark, and instead some rando stranger that Donghyuck liked? He could've started hardcore stalking him."

Jeno rolled his eyes. "But it's not just some stranger, it's Mark. So what's so wrong with it? Despite Donghyuck's initial reaction, he's really happy now."

"It's actually how Taeyong and I started dating. I was hopelessly pining, but Yuta, being the best friend that he is, gave me his number without telling him, and we hit it off. Speaking of, Taeyong's here to pick me up for the end of my shift, so I'll catch you guys later. Keep me posted on Mark and Hyuck!" Jaehyun said, pushing the cart behind the library counter and hurrying over to his boyfriend who stood by the main doors, kissing him lightly. They walked out hand-in-hand, both smiley and cute. 

The three boys watched in disgust the whole time, but knew deep down that they were literally the cutest couple on the entire face of the earth.

"Aww, Renjunnie, I wish you would be soft with us instead of pushing us away all the time," Jeno pouted. Renjun turned to him looking like he was ready to slap him, but he hugged him fiercely.

"You guys are my best friends, despite being idiots," he muttered, causing the other two to smile.

~

On his way home from school later that day, Renjun received a text from an unknown number.

/hey, its me yangyang/

Renjun immediately stopped walking, almost dropping his phone.

/The hell do you want?/ he wanted to reply with, but he suppressed his utter dislike.

/Hi. What's up?/ he sent instead.

/just wanted to see if you wanna hang out and catch up, we havent spoken in a while/

/Yeah, because you dumped me and broke my heart,/ Renjun thought, but typed something else.

/Sure./

/great! when are you free?/


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaemin's feelings are worse than he thought. Renjun is stressed out. What's wrong with Donghyuck?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about any mistakes, especially tenses! Enjoy.

Lucas stares openly at Jungwoo, his cheekbones looking pretty under the natural light that shines through the big window next to them. They're out at the café on a lunch date, snacking on the pastries they get discounts on because of Mark. They're even sharing a smoothie with two straws, and Lucas can't help but admire the way Jungwoo's plump lips form around his straw.

"You're staring," Jungwoo points out, blushing lightly. Lucas just grins and digs into his crepe.

"So how is basketball going, Xuxi?" the doe-eyed boy asks, hurried to change the subject. Lucas hums, considering his reply.

"Practices are going okay. I'm improving on my three-pointers, and Mark is jumping higher and higher every day, I swear he's like a decked out pogo stick," he says. Jungwoo smiles, but knows Lucas is hiding something.

Reaching across the table and placing his small hand in Lucas's, he asks softly, "What about the team?"

His brows furrow. It's a sensitive subject between the two.

The homophobia had been prominent the first day Lucas joined the team. They didn't always make rude remarks, but they constantly looked down on Lucas. In the past, he's had a few talks with his teammates, saying that as long as they left his little brother alone, they could do and say whatever they want to Lucas. They had scoffed and called the pair the-word-that-shall-not-be-spoken, proceeding to push the older around, but they didn't bother Mark. That is what's most important.

"I'm thinking of quitting the team, and persuading Mark to as well," he says. Jungwoo's eyes flicker downwards. They both knew how much basketball meant to the younger, considering when Lucas started playing it, Mark was already shooting hoops like a pro.

Lucas just didn't want his brother to endure such a toxic environment like that just because their coach seemed to turn a blind eye on the obvious tension splitting the team.

The bell above the café's door chimed, and in came the group of boisterous friends, minus Mark, Donghyuck and Chenle. Which was a tad unusual; they were all pretty much stuck together like glue.

Jungwoo turned around to see what had caught Lucas's attention and smiled. Lucas immediately called the boys over and the couple made room for the four. Jisung seemed to stick out a little and fidget uncomfortably, but considering he was surrounded by older boys and didn't have the comfort of his best friend, it was understandable.

"Hey, guys! I hope we're not interrupting anything," Jeno greeted, bowing respectively to the seniors.

"No, no, it's okay. I'll pay for your orders," Jungwoo kindly offers. Jaemin blushes madly, thanking the other before taking the money held out to him and scurrying to the counter to order.

"So boys, how's it going? Long time no see, I haven't even met Jaemin yet," Lucas asks, sitting back and ruffling Jisung's hair. Jaemin had moved to the town a couple of years ago, so the two weren't familiar with each other yet.

Jeno glances at Renjun questioningly, and he just responds with a shrug of his shoulder. Jeno takes that as his cue.

"You remember YangYang?" he blurts out. Lucas racks his memory, and a lightbulb goes off in his head.

"/YangYang/ like Renjun's ex, YangYang?" he asks. Jeno nods, his lips pinching grimly.

"He texted Renjun last night, asking if they could meet up."

"Hmm, sounds suspicious to me," Jungwoo inputs, swirling his straw and taking a sip.

Jeno throws up his hands. "I know right?! Renjun, you shouldn't meet with him. I'm picking up on some major red flags. What if he tries to meet you in some shady alley and he's with his creepy friends?" the raven-haired boy shivers.

Renjun rolls his eyes, brushing him off by going to help Jaemin bring all of their finished orders to the table. Their conversation lags for a bit as they enjoy their snacks, Lucas and Jaemin just greeting each other and chatting lightly.

When they're finished eating, Lucas asks, "So where are Donghyuck and Chenle? Don't they usually come with you guys to the café?"

Jisung puts down his drink. "I've been trying to call Chenle, but his phone is off. Donghyuck hasn't been responding to any of us, too."

Lucas cocks his head curiously.

"They could just be spending time with their parents," Jungwoo says.

"That's not likely. From what they've told us, their parents aren't really… how should I put this - the family type of people," Renjun states.

"I'm sure they'll be at school tomorrow so you can talk to them. Today is Sunday after all," Lucas says, which they all nod their heads to, and they continue their lunch.

~

"Hyung, it's me. Please let me in, I have a burrito for you, with pork belly in it, your favorite!" Chenle says pleadingly at the door.

A muffled voice comes from the closed room. "I'm sorry, Chenle. I don't want to eat."

"But you need to. You can't not eat anything all day."

Silence.

Chenle sighs and goes to get plastic wrap and tinfoil from the kitchen to cover the food and leaves it on the floor.

"I'll put this here. Please come out when you feel better, hyung." Chenle disappears into his own room down the hallway.

After a while, maybe ten minutes, maybe hours, Donghyuck cracks the door open and takes the plate from the floor. For a moment he considers eating it, but decides instead to throw it out the window and place the plate back where it was, just to make it appear that he had eaten it. Just to make Chenle a little less worried.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Self-harm and depression references. If you think you can't handle reading this, then please don't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to bring more serious awareness towards this topic. An unbelievable amount of youth these days are victims of self-harm and depression and feel like they have no one to talk to. If you are suffering, please talk to someone, anyone about it who you know will take it seriously. Especially a professional if you are able to. No one should feel alone, because no one is.
> 
> If you are having a bad day, I know that you can push through it because you're strong. I hope your day becomes the best.

It's now the end of the next week, and the group of friends are beyond worried. They were even speculating if something terribly wrong had happened, or maybe they moved again without telling anyone. Even Jaehyun, the carefree college student who didn't have many friends, was worried about the two - the library was also a frequent meet-up spot for the rambunctious sophomores, so he had gotten used to seeing them around often.

Even Jisung doesn't know the whereabouts of the brothers, and hasn't gone over to their house to hang out with Chenle recently. And so, after school, the sophomore walks the opposite direction, towards the big house belonging to the Lee family. Jeno tags along, also hoping to get some information about the two.

They climb the steps up to the door and Jisung raps his knuckles across the surface. No one answers after a couple times, but he doesn't give up. What if something really happened? What if they moved away, or worse, hurt? /De-/

Suddenly the door opens, revealing a Chenle with stress etched into his features. Before any words were exchanged, he pulled Jisung and Jeno inside by the arms and closed, then locked, the door.

"What the hell, Chenle?" he says, surprised.

Chenle leans his back against the door and sighs.

"Donghyuck would be mad, but I'm glad you're here."

They just stare blankly at the other boy, so many questions floating around their heads. What did he mean?

Chenle took their hands again and dragged them into the kitchen. He begins taking out a bunch of ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator. He takes a pot out and starts to boil water. Jisung and Jeno just stand quietly, watching and waiting until Chenle wants to talk. His movements and facial expressions clearly show the stress and tension tied up in his body and mind, indicating he has a burden on his shoulders he wants to get rid of.

After a while of flitting back and forth across the kitchen, stirring noodles and chopping vegetables, Chenle stands in front of Jisung and looks down.

"First of all, I know we probably made you guys worry. I'm sorry." Chenle glances up at him waiting for some kind of reaction, but when he doesn't receive one, he continues.

"Donghyuck has… a problem. I hate calling it that, but that's what it is and I need to stop lying to myself. I wish my brother would stop lying to himself, too." Jisung cocks his head and grasps both of the other's hands.

"Chenle, if you're ready to talk, then please tell me what's going on and what I could do." The shorter boy looks up then, tears shining at the corners of his eyes.

"Donghyuck has severe depression and is in desperate need of help, but our parents refuse to get a professional to make him feel better. Which results in him missing school, and /me/ missing school because I need to take care of him. He never wants to leave his room and cries constantly. He hardly even locks his door because he doesn't… want me to see him. Every time we move, he gets worse and worse. We're constantly making and losing friends. You're… you're the first people I've ever told about this."

It's a lot to take in, and Jisung takes a couple seconds to process what Chenle said. Just then, Jeno speaks up.

"I would like to see him," he says softly, afraid Chenle will refuse. "I'll even take him his food."

Chenle does look like he wants to say no, but instead he reluctantly nods. He whips around and finishes making the meal, dumping pasta onto a big plate and handing it to Jeno.

"Please, be considerate of him," Chenle whispers, eyes sad. Jeno tries to smile reassuringly, but his eyes are sad too.

The raven-haired boy climbs up the stairs, hearing the two still in the kitchen talking faintly. He pads over to the only closed door in the hallway, assuming it's Donghyuck's room, and knocks.

"Donghyuck, it's me, Jeno."

There's a shift behind the door, then silence. Jeno takes a deep breath.

"Can I come in? I would like to talk. I won't talk about anything you don't want to." Another shuffle is heard, another beat of silence, then the door opens, revealing a… well, a shell of Donghyuck.

His eyes and cheeks look sunken, like he hasn't been eating or sleeping, which Jeno guesses is accurate. His hair is matted and greasy, and there's a big, flakey red spot on his neck revealed by the large ratty t-shirt draped across his narrow frame. He's pulling at the hem of the shirt and avoiding Jeno's gaze.

Jeno smiles, glad he at least opened the door, and came in upon Donghyuck's gesture. He closes the door behind him and they sit against the wall on the side of the messy bed after Jeno sets the plate on the nightstand.

A few moments pass, neither boy saying anything, until Donghyuck speaks quietly with a hoarse voice.

"Hi, Jeno."

"Hi, Donghyuck," he replies, just as quietly.

"How is everyone?"

Jeno explains how everyone is doing, making light conversation until Donghyuck is ready to talk about himself. Soon, Donghyuck runs out of things to ask and just stares up at the ceiling.

"I'm not okay, Jeno."

Jeno looks at him with an unreadable expression, waiting for him to continue. Donghyuck scratches at the red patch on his neck.

"I have depression and anxiety. My parents won't take me to see a therapist. I don't know what to do and how to cope. I… I tried the easy way out a year ago. Chenle found me in the bathroom, on the floor. I told him not to tell a soul, and he's kept his promise. No one else knows. He's such a good little brother. I don't deserve him." Donghyuck brings his knees up to his chest, still just staring out into space.

Jeno looks down, and decides to show him something he has never shown anyone. Not even his best friends.

"You're not alone, Donghyuck," he says, pulling down the side of his shorts. There, below his boxers on the outside of his thigh, are scars. Scars that he wishes he never had given himself, scars that remind him of his own sorrows and screw ups.

Donghyuck just looks at them with surprise and questions in his eyes.

"I got them when I was a pre-teen. That was when I had no friends aside from Jaemin, and he had his first girlfriend. I couldn't stand it, I didn't know why he felt like he needed someone else other than me. He was my everything and I felt like I was losing him. Like he was growing up… and leaving me behind."

He pulled his shorts back up, his expression sober and eyes looking far away. Donghyuck was still shocked. He had no idea.

"It took me a while to figure out that what I was feeling for Jaemin was love. And not just brotherly love. I still feel that way about him, which by the way, absolutely sucks. To have to look him in the eye every day and know that what I feel for him isn't reciprocated."

Jeno feels a hand on his arm, and he glances over to Donghyuck, who looks like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. They're both glad they told each other such burdening secrets.

Soon, Jeno climbs off the bed and grabs Donghyuck's hand, pulling him off, too. He guides the other boy, plate in his other hand, out of the door and down the stairs. Donghyuck sits himself at the dinner table and begins to eat. Meanwhile, Jisung and Chenle stare, shocked, at the two. Once he knows Donghyuck will stay and finish his food, Jeno leaves the kitchen with the freshmen, heading to the living room.

Well out of Donghyuck's earshot, Jeno reassures, "He'll be okay. He just needs some time to get back on the right track."

Chenle sighs out of relief, a huge smile across his face.

"Thank you for all your help, Jeno."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my ao3 twitter for posts ranging from story updates, extra bits or just my thoughts. @GIMSao3


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys decide to have a talk with Mark. Donghyuck wants to get better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhh ikkkk it took sooo long. I am such a hypocrite, ranting in other fics' comments about how I want more but here I am taking a million years to write 800 damn words. Anyways, hope you enjoy.
> 
> Follow my twt and yell @ me @GIMSao3

Mark can't believe that all four boys, Jeno, Jaemin, Renjun and Jisung, were standing on his front porch after not seeing them at the café. Mark normally encountered them at school, but they rarely talked to each other anyways. Their appearance was sudden and unexpected.

Their faces look serious, though Jeno has always had trouble looking like that. He looks like a pouting baby. Jisung's nose is scrunched, which is pretty cute, but it always means something is wrong.

"What's wrong, you guys?" Mark asks, gesturing them inside.

He leads them into the living room where Mark's mother is, sewing a beautiful quilt together on the couch. When she notices them all, she gets up and goes to hug each boy.

"Oh, hello boys! Welcome, please, take a seat. Would anyone like some tea or a snack?"

Jaemin dips his head and declines respectfully.

"Do you think that we could talk with Mark for a little bit? If it's not a bother."

"No, of course you can talk. I'll be down the hall, holler if you need me! It's so good to see you, boys," she says, her pretty voice following her as she takes the quilt to her room.

They all sit on the couch and chairs, and no one speaks until Jaemin leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Mark. You're probably wondering why we're here."

Jeno nudges him. "God, just get to the point, drama queen."

Renjun snorts. "As you know, Donghyuck and Chenle have not been going to school. The reason is that Donghyuck is really not taking moving so well, and to put it lightly, he's very sad. We think it's in both of your best interests that you ask him out on a date!"

Renjun takes a deep breath, looking pleased with his quick explanation.

Mark looks shocked, like he tripped and spilled a customer's order all over his new apron that he's so proud of. A blush blooms across his face.

"Uh..."

"Don't 'uh' him! We're very serious. Chenle has been taking care of him, so I think you should step in and give him some of the love you've been keeping prisoner in that big ass heart of yours," Jeno states, giving him a look.

"A-Alright, fine! I'll th-think about it," Mark says.

"That's what I'm talkin' about, Marker!" exclaims Jisung. "Now, where are you hiding the barbeque Pringles?"

The rest of the night consists of the boys playing video games and demolishing Mark's pantry, the four boys trying the best they can to hype him up for the big day he has in front of him.

~

At around midnight, when all the boys are fast asleep spread across the living room, Mark pulls out his phone.

/Hey, Yang./

/mark! what's up?/

/Nothing much, just… the guys came over today, and they told me I should cheer Donghyuck up because he's been feeling really down by asking him out on a date. What do you think?/

/i think that's a great idea. dont let what's important to you slip away. don't make the same mistake i did, markie./

/Okay. Thanks, bro/

/np man/

~

Donghyuck opens his locker with a sigh, wondering if he should go visit the boys at the lunch table, or if he should grab his brother for lunch on the rooftop. He knows that he pretty much ghosted the others, having not talked to them for a whole week. This was his first day back and he really felt like he just wanted to go back home and curl under his sheets.

But he promised Jeno, he promised Chenle he would try. So he will. Besides, he can't keep hiding forever, despite being ashamed of his current mental state.

He shut his locker, and jumped at the sight of Mark standing right where his view had been blocked.

"M-Mark! How long have you been standing there…?" he stuttered, looking down at his feet.

The other smiled crookedly and lifted Donghyuck's chin so they were face-to-face.

"Would you go out with me?"

Donghyuck froze, eyes staring up into the pair of dark chestnut eyes. /Is he serious???? Mark, the cute popular boy, wants to go on a date with me?????/

He realizes he was lost in his own head when Mark's eyes start to fill with doubt, and before he could say something, Donghyuck blurts, "Yes!!!"

Mark blinks owlishly as if he expected the younger to say no. He then smiles again and nods.

"Okay. Walk with me to the lunch table?"

Donghyuck realizes he is too damn whipped for this cute popular boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls I'm desperate @GIMSao3
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> also DNYL is a b o p pls stream it if u can


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chenle and Jisung decide to be bad, do they get caught?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️I do NOT condone underage partying or drinking. Focus on school, THEN do whatever the hell you want.⚠️
> 
> Okay so chapter 6 turned out to be way too long so I had to split it into two, so this fic now has a total of 19 chaps woops
> 
> I had fun writing this one uwu
> 
> Also two updates in two days!!! Who am I!!!!!!!!
> 
> twt: @GIMSao3

Chenle and Jisung sit by themselves at the library, trying their hardest to focus on the very important task at hand: studying for the math test they were fairly certain they would fail.

Per usual, Jisung constantly looks at his phone while Chenle debates on whether to buy something for dinner or go home and make it. The two freshmen haven't yet gotten used to the constant need for studying that comes with being average 110-IQ high schoolers.

So the pair continue to sit around and get nothing done until Jisung overhears Jaehyun talking on the phone, who is currently shuffling through books in the sci-fi section.

"When is it? Is Yuta actually going to be there this time or is this party just another excuse to get Sicheng alone again?"

Jisung drops his phone and carefully backs his chair up so he can get a little closer.

"Alright, alright. Tomorrow my classes go until 6, so you can pick me up, drive me home, and we could be ready by 8:30 and get there by 9. How's that sound?"

There's some long rambling on the other end of the line, whom Jisung suspects is Taeyong, and Jaehyun ends the call with a mumbled, "Okay, I won't forget again. Love you too."

Jisung scoots his chair back in before Jaehyun could notice, and turns to Chenle, who is doodling in his notebook while vibing to a song that's playing in his earbuds. He shakes the other boy violently, snapping him out of his own little world.

"What is it?" he asks, pulling out an earbud.

"Party. At Yuta-hyung's house. Tomorrow at 9. We need to go!"

Chenle gives him a weirded-out look. "There's no way my brother would let me go to that. I promised I would marathon Supernatural with him while our parents are on their business trip!"

Jisung perks up. "Your parents won't be home at all. All the more reason to go!"

"Jisung, this is Donghyuck we're talking about. The most stubborn gay out there. I wouldn't be able to pry his eyes off of Dean for a few minutes, let alone long enough for a whole party!" Chenle screeches, which alerts a bystander a few tables down who hushes the boys into whispers.

Jisung huffs a "fine," then picks his phone back up. A few beats of silence pass, then Jisung puts his phone back down and leans into the other's ear.

"We don't have to tell him," he whispers.

~

"Hyung, I'm tired. I think I'm gonna head to bed early," Chenle fake-yawns, stretching his limbs across the couch. On the other side, covered in blankets and pillows, Donghyuck gasps.

"Brother, you're betraying me. Right at the good part where Dean has a heart-to-heart talk with Sam in the Impala, you want to /sleep/?!"

Chenle smiles sheepishly and gets up, tossing his blanket onto the Donghyuck Pile.

"Goodnight, big bro. Don't stay up too late again, please!"

Donghyuck gives him a half-hearted offended face and pulls him down for a hug, then sends him off up the stairs.

Once Chenle makes it into his bedroom, he shuts and locks the door, opening his closet and pulling out the outfit he picked for the night. It's a pair of ripped black skinny jeans (of course), and a mesh, see-through, long-sleeved top that he stole from Donghyuck. He topped it off with a pair of black combat boots that almost reached his knees.

He quickly threw everything on, going back and forth to his bathroom to finish off his look. He put on some heavy black eyeliner and bright red lip tint, covering up his acne with concealer and slapped some gel into his freshly-bleached blonde hair.

When Chenle is done, he gives himself a once-over in his mirror, and /damn/ does he look good. He is suddenly very glad to have been friends with a senior named Ten at one of his old schools, because he had taught Chenle how to really make himself pretty for a party.

Proud of his work, Chenle struts over to his bed and grabs his phone. He texts Jisung a selfie and tells him he is ready, and he gets a few varying heart emojis with a "I'll be there in five, be ready outside" in reply.

So Chenle does what all cliché teenagers sneaking out do. He grabs his phone and spare keys and hops out of his window, onto a lower section of tiled roofing. From there, he uses a ledge to climb the rest of the way down.

Jisung's uber was farther down the street, so Chenle hurries over and gets in the back next to him.

The trip to Yuta's wasn't very long, which was great; less time for the Uber driver to question the two freshmen about what they were doing so late on a Friday night. Once they arrived, they could already tell that the party was in full-swing. Red light shone from every window and bodies were pressed against one another, from corner-to-corner.

They approach the front door nervously, suddenly uncertain if they should really go in or not.

"Jisung, promise me something," Chenle mutters, fidgeting with his sleeves. The younger looks at him with wide eyes.

"No alcohol. None at all. Okay?"

Jisung nods back vigorously, and reaches out to link pinkies. It makes Chenle blush, but he pushes it down and opens the door.

~

It's a few hours later and they've kept their promises, only having grabbed a couple of bottles of water from a cabinet in the kitchen. Currently, there were a few college students doing shots on the island, and the two joined in on whooping and observing the disaster that was taking place.

Chenle looks around the room, spotting a very familiar face among the small crowd, who he had dreaded seeing tonight. Coincidentally, that was the same time they had looked around, too, so they looked directly at each other.

"Jisung, Jaehyun saw us. He's coming over here!" Chenle whisper-yelled into the younger's ear, making him jump and look up at the approaching college student.

"Hey, boys! What are you doing here?" Jaehyun asked, confusion written all over his face.

"Uh, hey Jaehyun! We're here because, um, my brother got invited, and he asked us if we wanted to come!"

"Oh, so you two aren't alone, that's good. I know Donghyuck is responsible, so don't worry, I got your guys' back in case of trouble," the college student chuckles, raising his beer bottle and throwing the rest back. Chenle and Jisung just nod and smile with tight lips.

"You two be careful of slip-ups, by the way. The alcohol and tabs they're passing around right now are pretty damn strong, don't wanna have to explain to your bro what happened!" he says with a big grin.

"Okay, thanks Jaehyun," Jisung replies. At that moment, Taeyong glides into the kitchen with hazy eyes and a matching grin on his face.

"Sorry boys, I have to steal my boyfriend away for a bit!" he slurs, and drags Jaehyun off into the crowds.

The freshmen release sighs from the tension that filled their chests. Chenle feels bad for lying, but he's having fun and doesn't want to be kicked out.

The rest of the night was a bit of a haze from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twt and yell at me @GIMSao3
> 
> 7 chaps in and i don't have any comments :'( I'm a broke writer :'(


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck and Mark have to deal with two freshmen who made stupid decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg it's literally 3 am but I felt inspired uwu, I had to split up this chapter again, oopsies
> 
> Again, I don't condone any underage stuff. Study don't party!!!
> 
> Enjoy~

Donghyuck wakes up to sun shining in his face, a bright beam from the early morning sun hitting him directly in the face. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and drags himself out of bed, not bothering to make it. On his way downstairs for some coffee, Donghyuck knocks on Chenle's door and yells for him to wake up. His little brother wasn't much of an early riser, that's for sure.

Five minutes pass of quiet TV and the sound of coffee brewing, and Chenle still isn't downstairs, which was odd. Once he's awake, he can't fall back asleep to save his life. Especially with the smell of his favorite coffee grounds.

So after another ten minutes, Donghyuck goes upstairs to check to see if he was still getting up for the day. He opens the door to find… an empty room. No ball of sunshine and insane blonde bedhead in sight.

Slightly panicked, Donghyuck rushes back downstairs to retrieve his phone he had left in the living room, and dials Chenle's number. The phone rings twice before it goes to voicemail. He tries again, but it immediately goes to voicemail.

At this point, Donghyuck is beyond worried. Without his parents there, he had a job to protect his brother and home. What if he had to go out and been in an accident? Or worse, what if he had been /taken/?

So many worst case scenarios pops into his mind, but Donghyuck mentally slaps himself. He needs to think clearly. The situation is too vague to call the police, and he doubts they would do much right away. He has to /think/.

He picks up his phone again and scrolls through his contact list. He knows Jaemin, Renjun and Jeno are out of town, doing lab research for the environmental science class they all share. So who else could he call that could help him find Chenle?

/Jisung/!

He presses the call button so fast he thinks he might breal his screen.

No luck, though. It goes straight to voicemail, all three times he calls. Which is more than odd, Donghyuck notices; Jisung is /always/ on his phone. Which could possibly mean… the two are together.

/Okay, Donghyuck. Someone else you know could still help you find them./

He presses on Mark's name without much more thought.

/"Hello?"/ a husky, tired voice asks.

"Oh thank god. Mark, I need your help. Chenle is missing and neither him nor Jisung are picking up their phones. I think they're together but I have no idea where," Donghyuck rushes out without taking a breath.

/"Woah, okay, okay, slow down. Calm down, Donghyuck, I'm sure they're alright,"/ Mark soothes, sounding more awake. There's some shuffling for a few moments, then he says, /"Give me a couple minutes to get ready, I'll use Lucas's car to come and get you, okay?"/

Donghyuck nods vigorously, then realizes the other can't see him, so he huffs out affirmation.

/"Good. I'll pick you up outside, be there in five."/ With that, he hangs up the phone, and Donghyuck is left alone for another gruelling five minutes of worst case scenarios flooding his head.

~

Exactly five minutes later, Mark shows up in a sleek-looking black car and picks up a freaked-out Donghyuck on the curb. He turns around and starts driving towards the park.

"Okay, we'll check the park first, then the school. You got any ideas of where else they could be?"

Donghyuck chews on his lip, staring out the window to see if he could catch a glimpse of bright blonde hair. "Uh, maybe the café? Or Jisung's house?"

"Good. Don't worry, Donghyuck, we'll find them." Mark reaches over and pats the worried boy on the leg, which makes the younger jump and his face immediately heat up.

They arrive at the park and get out to look around a little. They're about to give up and check the school when Donghyuck's phone rings. He fumbles to take it out and answer, and he sees Chenle's name on the screen.

"Hello?!" he near-screeches.

/"Uh, hi! This kid's phone died sometime last night so I plugged it in to charge and saw that you had called, so I called back,"/ a stranger's voice answers, but Donghyuck is still on-edge.

"That's my brother's phone! Oh my god, where are you? Are Chenle and Jisung okay?"

/"Well, they're passed out from last night and probably gonna have a helluva hangover, but they're for sure okay."/

Donghyuck released the breath he didn't know he had been holding. At the same time, Mark jogs over and looks curious, so the younger gives him a thumbs-up, which is returned with a relieved smile. /They're okay./

"Text me the address of where you are, and we'll come and get them."

/"Sure thing,"/ the stranger says cheerfully.

A few minutes later and the two are pulling up to a big house a little while away from Donghyuck's, and they rush to the front door to knock.

A tall, foreign-looking man opens the door with a bright smile and big eyes. "You two are here for Chenle and Jisung?"

They nod and make their way inside after the door swings open. The sight that greets the two makes them want to cringe and walk away.

It was clear a hardcore party had gone down the night before and ended only a few hours ago. There were a few people laying here and there, passed out on the furniture or the expensive-looking rug.

"This was a high school party?!" Mark exclaims, sounding very doubtful.

The stranger laughs and shakes his head. "No, no, you've got it all wrong. This was a college party that me and my roommates Taeyong and Johnny hosted."

"Taeyong, Jaehyun's /boyfriend/ Taeyong?" Donghyuck asks incredulously. Yuta just smiles and nods, then gestures over to a corner of the room, where a suspicious-looking tuft of blonde hair sticks out from underneath a leather jacket that looks exactly like Jisung's.

Donghyuck carefully steps over, mindful of other passed out people scattered around, to where the two are curled up against each other. He picks up the jacket and is greeted with a sight he would call cute if it weren't for the situation they were in.

Furious, the boy flicks the two across their foreheads /hard/. They both stir and open their heavy, hazy eyes and are greeted with a pissed off Donghyuck who's ready to throw hands.

"H-Hyuckie, what's up?" Chenle shyly says, trying to be as casual as possible while scooting away from a groggy Jisung.

"Don't 'Hyuckie' me! You had me worried out of my mind! Do you have any idea what I was thinking when I woke up to discover you gone?!" he scolds, his hands forming fists and his face turning a bright red.

Chenle hangs his head low and doesn't respond, looking very ashamed. /Good, he has every right to feel bad about being here,/ Donghyuck thinks.

Mark steps in from the side and grabs them by their arms to help them up. He turns to the stranger and says, "We're really sorry about all the trouble. These two are only freshmen in high school and snuck out without permission. Thank you so much for helping us, uh, sir."

The oldest just nods again with his smile on. "Sorry about the worry. I'm Yuta, by the way. Here's your phone back," he turns to Chenle who takes it shyly.

Donghyuck huffs and tugs the boys' hair. "Apologize, now."

They both bowed their heads and mumbled embarrassed apologies.

Donghyuck and Yuta exchange a few words and numbers for in case anything else were to happen and the group of four get in the car to be on their way home. First stop was Jisung's house, and the ride there was completely silent, save for Donghyuck's disappointed sighs on occasion.

When they got Jisung home and he had been thoroughly scolded by his father, the trio left for Donghyuck and Chenle's house.

"Uhm… I just want to say again… I'm really sorry for worrying you. Thanks, Mark, for helping to look for me," Chenle says quietly. Donghyuck looks back at him, mentally saying, /We'll talk about this later,/ and he seems to get the message.

So they arrive home and Chenle trudges inside, clearly exhausted from the night's activites. He probably has a huge headache, too, so Donghyuck lets him go for now.

The two sophomores follow him up the front steps, and pause at the door.

"So, uh… I'm glad we found them and th-that they're okay," Mark stutters, scratching the back of his head. Donghyuck sends him a smile, causing him to smile back.

"Thank you," the younger mutters, shuffling his feet.

"Happy to help!" Mark begins to turn and walk away, but Donghyuck stops him with a hand on his arm.

"Would you… like to stay for breakfast? I know I woke you up, and I haven't had anything to eat either," the younger offers boldly. Donghyuck has never invited anyone into his house before, afraid of being that close to someone. But he knows he can trust Mark. After all, he helped him look for his stupid little brother.

Mark looks surprised, but responds with a nod and a grin. /That smile will be the death of me,/ Donghyuck thinks, but quiets his mind and heart and lets the other boy in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twt: @GIMSao3
> 
> thank u to anon user CHOGIWA!! I appreciate the comments a whole lot uwuwuwuwueueueuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwu <<<333


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